ERMeCC Lunch Seminar

Health Information Related to Cardiovascular Diseases in Chinese Television Health Programs
By Lei Yang

In China, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading causes of death (Gu et al., 2005; Wu et al., 2016; Yang et al., 2012). The health threats of CVDs are especially notable among the Hui ethnic minority as they have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) (Wu et al., 2016). Thus far, little research has been done about the content related to CVDs in health programs on Chinese television. Our research aims to fill the lacuna by investigating the types of health information related to CVDs conveyed in television health programs in China. Additionally, we investigate if and how the information is targeted at Hui people. Qualitative content analysis was conducted to analyze 13 episodes from The Doctor Is In (In Mandarin: 健康之路) and 12 from Health Body Light (In Mandarin: 健康一身轻). The results show that these two programs mainly depicted health information about different topics. Despite the high prevalence of CVDs and CVRFs among Hui people, there was no health information specifically targeted at this Chinese minority in the episodes we analyzed.

Objectifying the Individual: A Case Study on Promotional Strategies, Cultural Hybridization and Sexuality in K-Pop
By Alexandra Elissa Necula

In the current globalized context, which seems to be in a continuous expanding process as influenced by perpetual technological developments, cultural diversity is becoming a widely accepted state of modern society, bringing with it a vast range of cultural assets and perspectives. As a result, the tendency to aspire to such knowledge as an individual also becomes natural, to the extent that every part of society is being built in accordance to this trend in order to comply with people’s expectancies and desires. The entertainment industry is probably one of the best examples that comes as proof of the current tendencies in matter of cultural hybridization. This is happening as a result of promotional strategies targeting foreign markets, one such situation being that of the K-Pop music genre, which has been undeniably enlarging its influence over foreign markets, as part of a trend known as the Hallyu Wave. This expansion is stretching out not only on the Asian continent, but all over the world, as a result of technological advancements which brought its second stage of development in recent years, Hallyu 2.0. This paper attempts at offering a deeper understanding of the reasons behind cultural hybridization tendencies in entertainment, and is doing so by looking at the case of K-Pop, and the changes the genre has been undergoing in the past several years. By using an insightful selection of previous research as theoretical framework, and combining it with an interpretative analysis of specific examples, the current study aims at contributing to existing research by providing a starting point in the analysis of cross-cultural trends adopted by entertainment companies for shaping their artists’ images and musical products. As the findings suggest, there are various reasons as to why and how this cultural hybridization is considered as an appropriate promotional strategy. A mixture of local and Westernized cultural elements can be observed in the production of K-Pop music. The main reason behind this is a suspected desire to create a certain image that is widely accepted worldwide, and is influenced by a strong Western style, which seems to be the leading trend in modern entertainment, with a high degree of influence on consumers in general. From a social perspective, this study is meant to provide a better understanding of current trends in the entertainment industry, reasons behind existing promotional strategies and cultural alterations and, in consequence, possible effects on consumers of such products.